The last chapter was long, as a result this one is short. An Epilogue will follow.

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Simon felt his entire body pulse with a pressure growing swiftly to an unmanageably painful intensity. Kaylee whimpered behind him as she slid to her knees, clutching her head. She slumped against the wall, tears sliding down her cheeks. Mal, Inara, Regan and Gabriel all felt the effects but were further away and it took longer to register in their minds what was happening.

The hand on Simon’s shoulder tightened as he tried to move, but the pressure behind his eyes caused his vision to blur and his head to swim. He groaned piteously just as the blue object was knocked out of the suited man’s hand and crushed beneath a tiny, delicate foot.

Blood spread into the carpet as the glass broke, cutting into the fleshy pad of River’s foot. She stood with her hair in messy disarray, her nightgown hanging around her slim body and her eyes narrowed angrily at the man who had just tried to kill her brother.

“River –“ Regan reached out, the image of her beautiful little girl forever vanishing in the face this Alliance–made assassin who wore her daughters face. Simon had told them in implicit detail what had happened but, until she’d seen the change come over River with her own eyes, she would never have believed it.

“Ah – River Tam, how good to see you.” One of the officers smiled.

“Can’t take him from me.” The girl’s voice was cold and emotionless as she lifted the broken object from the floor and turned it over in her hands.

Mal pulled Inara out of the way and Simon pushed Kaylee against the wall, covering her body protectively with his as River leapt into action. The broken end of that cylindrical object dripped wetly with blood as River quickly and methodically sliced open the throats of every Fed standing in the hallway.

Mal pushed himself into the middle of the hall when it was done. “We need to get out of here, now. There will be more after these.” He hurried into his room and gathered